A review of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
Wanting to escape the realities of our world for a day and be surrounded by whimsy and turkey legs? Then the Renaissance Faire is for you! Last month we took an adventure to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire for their opening weekend, and we thought we would give you our opinion, review, and rating on it!
Rachael
I’ve grown up going to the Ren Faire every year and it has always been a signifier for me that fall is on the horizon. Only recently I have started to really appreciate the joy and wonder behind a great Ren Faire and I believe it’s due to my increased interest in fantastical worlds. Indulging in more fantasy novels and media, and playing D&D with my friends has given me the encouragement to really take part in all a Ren Faire has to offer!
This was my second year going to the Pennsylvania Ren Faire, and I had a blast!! The first year I went, it was a scorching hot weekend in August. It was the first year I actually had a full on outfit fit for the Renaissance, but an awfully uncomfortable one to wear in the heat for a long period of time. Due to this, I didn’t end up having a very good time and didn’t think this Faire was worth writing home about.
This year, however, the tides have turned! A slight breeze and light showers sprinkled throughout our hour and a half drive to the faire had me nervous that this was going to be another bust (because if you couldn’t tell by now, I am a victim of letting the weather control my emotions), but it ended up being a great trip. As soon as we got there the skies cleared up and we had pretty mild temps for the rest of the day; just the way I like it!!
This Ren Faire is HUGE! I felt like I was always stumbling into a new area and thought the surprises would never end! Everyone was dressed in stunning outfits and some in very silly costumes… why did we see a guy dressed as a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream I couldn’t tell you. The outfit I chose this year was a bit more simple then what I wore last year and it was perfect for me. It was dressed up enough where I still felt whimsical and a part of The Scene but I didn’t have too much on that would make me feel overstimulated.
Some of my favorite highlights
I had the crispiest blueberry cider in all of the land
Another patron of the Faire came up to me and gave me a paper origami star and it warmed my heart!!
I bought many goodies including: a wax seal starter kit, a new dice bag and set of dice, and a white capelet that I will be wearing to my next Faire!
Next time we go I would love to watch more of the shows and acts that happen throughout the day. The only one we watched this time was the bird show and while I thought the birds were extremely cute, the show left much to be desired.
Overall I give the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire a solid 8.5/10. If you have the chance to go I definitely recommend! Some tips I would give for anyone who might be new to going to the Ren Faire - choose comfort over fashion (you will thank me later), bring more cash than you think, and prepare for this to be an all day affair.
Alex
As a child, I never went to the Ren faire. I never really read fantasy books, nor played fantasy games. I’ve had the privilege to have friends who are in love with the fantasy genre and are avid Ren faire go-ers. Although I’ve been to the Ren faire before, this was the first time I really had an outfit put together!
A former version of my current DND character inspired my outfit. As much as I love seeing others wear faerie outfits and beautiful mushroom dresses, this year felt like a good time to really put my imagination into reality (and gender bend).
Inevitably, my outfit became more assassin-like, which I slowly became more and more obsessed with! Maybe one day I’ll really curate an outfit like my DND character, but now I’m left with a feeling that maybe I was some form of an assassin in another life…
As for a few of my favorites from the fair itself…
The necklace I purchased. Although it is a little hard to see, the necklace is a choker with a single black and white butterfly wing hanging.
The coffee Zach bought. He wanted a cool mug and ended up getting the best mocha cold brew I’ve ever had (and I’ve worked as a barista at two different companies)
Being able to celebrate our friend Niko’s birthday, ESPECIALLY by joining forces with another friend (Calvin) to surprise join the us last minute with his friend Collin! The group was truly a perfect group to go with and hope to have the same group for the MD fair.
My overall rating of the PA Ren faire would be an 8/10. The weather was good, the food was alright, but the vendors and company were WONDERFUL! I still highly recommend visiting and double layering socks if you decide to wear boots (like me).
Currents Corner
Rachael
Saying “Excellente”
THE MAGICIANS!!!! Almost finished season 1 and Eliot has my heart
Trader Joe’s pork gyoza ooohhhh I had the best dinner ever the other night, and they are way easier to cook then I thought they would be!
Alex
Finch (app): this app lets you track habits and raise a little bird friend in the process. The app is free and I would highly suggest trying it as a form of self care
Baltimore Roll from Kabuto. I’ve always been obsessed with this roll but I’m on a massive sushi kick rn.
Vox Machina (show): New season drops October 3 and I’m SO hype and planning a rewatch soon